Venezia: Should O.C. gun owners' private information be public?

And though I'm not a gun enthusiast, I don't believe those who legally own these weapons and get permits should have their names and addresses made public, as was done last December by the Journal News of White Plains, N.Y.

You might remember – The Journal News published an interactive map showing the names and addresses of gun permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties, which created a national firestorm of controversy.

On Jan. 16 they introduced Assembly Bill 134 – dubbed the Family Protection Act. This bill would ensure the names and addresses of legal gun owners in California are kept private.

Right now under the California Public Records Act, anyone can gain access to this information with a simple written request. The law does stipulate that telephone numbers and addresses of prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement, judges, court commissioners and magistrates are not required to be disclosed.

Mansoor tells me private members of the community deserve the same protections law enforcement and legislators already have.

"Why not provide them with the same level of safety?" he says.

On Jan. 6, the Fox News website reported that Connecticut lawmakers – after the shock of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting – were looking into legislation that could make public the names and addresses of 170,000 handgun permit-holders in the state.

If passed, the legislation introduced by state Rep. Stephen Dargan, would reverse a 20-year decision in Connecticut that kept this information confidential.

Proponents of this measure say people in the community have the right to know who owns a gun.

But Mansoor says he doesn't see any compelling interest among his constituents to provide this personal information about concealed gun permit owners, and wants to avoid a situation like the one in New York.

He tells me reaction so far has been very positive.

"I think people realize it's a common sense approach, and we don't need to give a shopping list to criminals as to who has or does not have a gun," he says.

Mansoor says this privacy legislation for gun permit owners would deter criminals looking to steal a gun or target a home without one.